Local Liberal Democrat Lisa Smart has called on local health chiefs to join the fight to improve local mental healthcare services.

It is part of an initiative led by Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson, Norman Lamb, working together with Alastair Campbell and Andrew Mitchell, which calls for the Government to improve mental healthcare.

The Hazel Grove Lib Dems have been made aware of a petition regarding the future of Etherow Park.

As frequent visitors to the park, we were very concerned to hear of the statements made by those organising the petition as they didn't match up with our understanding of Stockport Council's future spending plans.

The support for Etherow Park is hugely valuable and the strength of local support can be seen by the numbers supporting the petition.

We sought reassurances from Stockport Council and below is the statement we received from Cllr Martin Candler, Executive Member for Supporting Places:

"There are no plans to remove funding from Etherow Country Park. There is an ongoing public consultation on our greenspaces at the moment but none of the proposed changes will affect Etherow Country Park."

Because Stockport Council is getting less money from central government, difficult choices have been and will continue to be made. As park users though, we are very happy that the funding for Etherow will remain unchanged.

Etherow is a haven of peace and tranquility on our doorstep and we should all be proud that it was the very first Country Park in the country.

Stockport is to get two new hotels.

Travelodge have exchanged contracts with Orbit to open an 86 bedroom hotel in Regents House, the office building on Heaton Lane. The hotel will include a Bar Café and is situated close to Stockport train station and the new £47 million Redrock leisure development and the existing Merseyway Shopping Centre.

Along with Sale, it’s the first of nine new hotels Travelodge are looking to open in Greater Manchester. The new Stockport Travelodge should open in late 2016.

The Council has starting work building a new hotel next to Stockport Station on the Stockport Exchange complex.

A new 115-bed Holiday Inn Express® will be opened at Stockport Exchange after Muse Developments and Stockport Council completed agreements with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG).

Due to open in 2017, Holiday Inn Express® Stockport forms a key part of the second phase of the mixed-use Stockport Exchange development which is currently under construction, creating a new gateway for Stockport town centre.

The hotel’s contemporary design will reflect the town’s rich history, featuring vertical fins which reference the town’s Grade II Listed Victorian covered market hall nearby. Amenities will include a bar, restaurant, Wi-Fi and meeting facilities.

As well as the hotel, the second phase of work will deliver a new 50,000 sq ft, five-storey office building and pedestrianised public space, which will create an attractive gateway from the train station into the town.

13,500 families across Stockport borough will lose out under Conservative plans to cut tax credits.

Thousands of children in Stockport could lose their right to a free school meal under Conservative plans to review the scheme.

Your local Lib Dem team are inviting residents to write or email in to give us ideas on how to improve the junction at Hatherlow and Bredbury Green.

There have been a number of accidents on the junction which can be quite confusing for motorists and pedestrians.

If you have had or have witnessed an accident at this junction, or if there are any specific changes you think would help improve safety, please let us know by emailing enquiries@lisasmart.org.uk or write to us at 34 Stockport Road, Romiley, SK6 3AA.

New changes to the bus routes in Bredbury Green & Romiley need fixing" says local Lib Dem Lisa Smart.

With cuts of over £7million made to bus services in Greater Manchester by the Conservatives in government, local bus services are being cut and changed with Transport for Greater Manchester feeling the pressure.

Residents have asked the Lib Dem team to fight to get the 380 and 381 buses to stop at Morrisons so they can shop without having to walk miles with heavy shopping. Residents who use bus passes can't use them before 9,30am. Because of the new timetables bus users are having to wait until much later on to travel on the 380 or 381 than they used to.

Please email us on enquiries@lisasmart.org.uk if you support our campaign to get the 381 on the way in from Stockport to stop at Morrisons and the 380 to stop on the way back to Stockport. We are also asking for the 8.53am 381 from Stockport to be retimed so that it arrives at the Goyt Valley estate no earlier than 9.30am to allow people to use their bus passes.

We won! Because of you, your friends, family, and our community Stepping Hill is now officially a Specialist Hospital - meaning better services for local people (especially when it comes to emergency surgery). 

Tim Farron has set about ending the Liberal Democrats’ lack diversity at the top of the party – by naming the most diverse shadow cabinet team in the party’s history to lead the party's fightback.

In a huge blow to Britain's Green industry, the Conservatives have announced they will end all Government funding to the Green Deal - a programme set up by the Liberal Democrats in Coalition that helps people make their homes more energy efficient.